Polish Truffle Gołąbki (Stuffed Cabbage)
As seen on TV
Which Show?
Who made this dish?
Basia: "I am representing Poland. Let's go, Poland."
Basia: "My beloved grandmother, who I call Babcia, she was from Poland. She survived the horrors of World War II before coming to the States and starting a new life here as an American. So I'm very proud and happy to be repping Poland."
Basia: "My grandmother, my Babcia, would be extremely proud of me because she knows that this Polish girl can cook some mean, delicious Polish food."
Michael (spouse, MasterChef Season 11 contestant): "Babcia would be so proud, man. Doing great, babe. Let's do it."
Basia: "My signature dish is a vegan crab cake."
Joe Bastianich: "Are you a vegan?"
Basia: "Yes, I am."
Joe Bastianich: "Can you cook non-vegan?"
Basia: "I was non-vegan for 45 years. You got it."
Gordon Ramsay: "Welcome back. So why now, season 16 of MasterChef?"
Basia: "Because I'm representing Poland, of course."
Gordon Ramsay: "Love that. And what's the dish, please?"
Basia: "Polish gołąbki, which is stuffed cabbage."
Basia: "I will get that apron. My name, Basia, is going to be written right over here. Europe, right?"
Basia: "Hallelujah. Finally. My name is Basia, and the culture that I represent is Poland. I made Polish truffle gołąbki with dill oil."
Judge (during a mid-cook taste): "Wow. It's delicious. I can't stop eating them. We need to come up to halfway. Don't make them too big."
Tiffany Derry: "I was taken aback with how rich of a flavor you could get in the time that you had. The filling is delicious. You got it right with the balance of the rice and starch."
Gordon Ramsay: "But I'm going to be honest, there's some elementary mistakes here. It doesn't need $150 truffle, and this is a fierce season, and these aprons aren't coming easy. Will you get swamped in the competition for stuff like this? It's okay. Little bummer."
Joe Bastianich (on Basia's dish versus her husband Michael's Season 11 audition): "It's good. It is good. I'll be honest. It's actually better than her husband's dish. First time round, it was vegan, crude vegan cupcakes. That's right."
Result: Three yeses (despite critiques on the truffle addition). Apron awarded.
